On Friday, March 27th, President Trump attended an investment summit on Miami Beach in Florida. During the summit, he directly called out Iran for lying earlier in the week by denying that they were in peace talks with the United States.
“Remember, they (Iran) lied about three days ago,” Trump said during a speech at the Saudi-backed investment conference. “I said, ‘We are in negotiations.’ They (Iran) said, ‘We are not negotiating.'”
The President went on to say that Iran has been hit hard and anyone in that position would be negotiating. They are indeed negotiating. They were begging for a deal… “The results prove me right. They are indeed negotiating, and two days later they admitted it as well.”
Trump was referencing a statement made by Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi on Wednesday on Iranian state television. Araghchi claimed in the statement that there were “no negotiations or talks” between Iran and the U.S.
The President further added that the Iranian authorities were trying to make up for their false statement by sending 10 oil tankers to the U.S.
On Tuesday, March 24th, President Trump first revealed the Iranian gift at the White House. He mentioned that the gift was valuable and not related to nuclear weapons, but to oil and gas, stating that they did a very good thing.
During a cabinet meeting on Thursday, the President explained that the gift was Iran allowing 10 oil tankers to pass through the Strait of Hormuz.
However, he did not specify which country the oil came from or their destination.
After the United States and Israel conducted joint military actions against Iran, Iran blocked shipping in the Strait of Hormuz, causing a global surge in oil prices. The strait is one of the world’s most crucial energy chokepoints, transporting about one-fifth of the world’s oil.
Trump has been seeking to resolve the shipping issues in the strait and has urged countries to send warships to escort vessels in the Strait of Hormuz.
During the cabinet meeting on Thursday, a media outlet asked if the President believed Iran had the right to charge passage fees for passing ships, to which Trump replied that they should not have the right to do so, but they did something in some capacity.
U.S. Secretary of State Pompeo, after attending a G7 foreign ministers meeting in France on Friday, stated that he had informed G7 allies that Iran might be planning to establish a toll system in the Strait of Hormuz, which he described as “not only illegal but unacceptable. This poses a global danger. It is crucial for the world to have a response plan, and the U.S. is prepared to participate. We do not have to lead this plan necessarily, but we are willing to engage.”
He added that many countries have a significant interest in this matter. It is not just G7 countries; countries in Asia and globally have a significant stake in this issue and should make a substantial contribution to ensure that the Strait of Hormuz or any international waterway is not controlled or influenced by any single country, let alone by a terrorist government like the current ruling radical theocracy of Iran.